First (Real) Haircut (and 27 Weeks)

Today I had to take a day off because our daycare is closed for a vacation day.  I decided that since we have the time on a weekday that maybe we should make an appt to get munchkin's hair cut. You know, to fix the absolute hack job that J and I did on it a few months ago.  I didn't necessarily want to spend the money for it, but I figured they should be able to do it without stabbing him with scissors or poking an eye out.

I googled some places and found one that just opened no too far from home.  After having some trouble finding it we made it in (among all the construction).   First I let Andrew play for a while to get comfortable just being in a new place:

Then it was time to get in the seat.  A cute little "Cars" chair.  She tried to give him a magnetic drawing toy, but he was wary:

So we just put the cape on him to get ready:

He did pretty well.  He started with the pouty face and whimpering and escalated to full blown crying before long, but he sat still.  I could deal with him crying as long as he wasn't fighting the haircut:

She worked quickly and before long my handsome little man had a new 'do (and a lollipop):

He looks so much more grown up, but at least now his hair is out of his eyes and off of his neck so he can stay cooler.  My little guy is growing up...

And now for this week's update:

How far along? 27w0d and the size of a head of rutabaga.  WTF is a rutabaga?  He's probably around 14 inches and 2 lbs now.  He also has brain activity going on.

Weight loss/gain:  I weighed myself this morning and it showed a 27 lb gain. How the hell did I gain that  much already?

Maternity clothes: Mostly in maternity clothes now.  Pretty much all pants and shorts are, except for shorts I have with an elastic waist. I can still get into those. And I can still wear some regular shirts as long as they are longer in length.

Symptoms:  Besides my ever present cement bowel I've been getting some tightening in my belly.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: Still nada.  We'll get to it eventually.

Sleep: Not too bad for the past few nights. I'm so tired when I get up, though.  I wish I could get more sleep but unless I go to bed right after Andrew does that probably won't happen.

Best moment this week? Honestly there isn't much going on.

Movement: A lot - particularly when I try to lay in my favorite sleeping position turned towards my stomach. He's not a fan of that and lets it be known immediately.

Food cravings:  I's just always hungry. I  need to reign in the snacking.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  Feeling attractive.

What I'm looking forward to?  Taking Andrew down to some Spoleto stuff this weekend. I think we're going to the market and to look at some of the art stuff tomorrow.

Milestones:  Hitting 3rd tri and now less than 3 months to go.

What I'm nervous about:  About transitioning Andrew to his new room. I know it's going to be a huge adjustment and I envision him not sleeping, which means I won't be sleeping.

And here are this week's pictures.  The belly is definitely rounding out a lot more:

And just for fun here is a head on shot:

Two Down...

Trimesters that is.  Two down and one to go.

Oh my god!

Three months from today is my due date - or at least the earliest of the three that have been mentioned.  And really, we want this kid out by September 1st at the latest for school start purposes.  Not that we are anywhere near getting ready to talk about induction dates with my OB or anything.  We're just hoping that 2.0 follows his big brother's lead and doesn't want to do overtime in my ute.

Three months.  Wow.  It's coming up fast.  I'm excited, nervous, scared, and a whole host of other emotions.  I'm going to try to enjoy these last three months as our family of three before everything changes.  And maybe at some point over these next three months we'll actually come up with a name for this little guy...

My Little Dancer

One thing that we have noticed over the last few months is that Andrew loves music. Loves it.  He could be playing with toys and not paying one bit of attention to what's on the tv, but as soon as a song or musical number comes on he stops what he's doing and starts bopping along to the music.

We have speakers outside on our deck and sometimes when we're hanging out in the evening we'll have the stereo on.  He gets this goofy grin on his face and starts bobbing his head and doing his funny little dance.  The kid has absolutely no rhythm, but he loves to dance.

Yesterday I walked up to the farmer's market to pick him up (our daycare walks them there on Tuesday's and that is where the parents pick the kids up).  More often than not they are sitting by the tent where there is live music being played.  It's normally a duo or just a single person playing the guitar and singing.  The kids love it.  This is what I found when I walked up yesterday:

Andrew was having a blast dancing around while I stood back and watched.  I couldn't help but smile at my little guy as I witnessed the unbridled joy on his face.

I hope he is always able to find this much joy in the little things.  I hope he's always so carefree and able to let loose when the mood hits.  It's a tough world out there - it's important to find happiness in the little things when you can.

It reminds me of the following quote:

"You've got to dance like there's nobody watching,

Love like you'll never be hurt,

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth."

- William W. Purkey

I love my little dancer and hope he's always able to dance like there's nobody watching.

My Guys

It's funny to think that 2+ years ago when I first became pregnant with Andrew that I was hoping he was a girl.  That I thought I would be happier with a little girl seems crazy to me now.

What in the world made me think that I should be a girl mom?  I am so not a girly girl.  Honestly, I don't know what I would do with a girl.  Sure, there are a lot more cute clothes for girls, but really - all the headbands and tutus and little frilly things just aren't me.

When people found out we're having another baby of course they would all ask "Are you hoping for a girl this time?".  I said that J was hoping for a girl, but that I would kind of like another boy.  I don't know, I just feel like I "get" boys better.  I do feel a little bad that J isn't getting his little girl and it makes me a little sad that he feels like he isn't getting the connection that he sees with me and Andrew.  But then I watch my two favorite guys together and I realize that they have an amazing connection themselves:

Andrew LOVES his daddy.  If we get home first, as soon as Andrew hears J come in the door from work he goes running full speed towards the front door shouting "Daddy!".  And most mornings after J has left for work (I do 95% of the daycare drop-offs) Andrew will say "Find daddy!".  And lately on nights when I am the one doing the rocking before bedtime, J will come in to give Andrew kisses goodnight.  Andrew will say "Daddy kisses!" over and over again, making sure that J gives him just one more kiss.  He throws his little arm around J's neck and smooshes his little face into the side of J's face to give him kisses.

I love watching the two of them together.  I can't help but smile when I catch the two of them sitting together, having a snack or reading a book.  Andrew is still his mini-me, at least in my opinion.  People say he's starting to look more like me, but I still see him as all daddy.

This weekend we had a great weekend at the pool, at the beach, taking bike rides, and just playing around the house.  There were several times where I just sat back and observed them - watching my two favorite guys in the whole world.  I know some people might think I'm missing out by not having a girl and some people (my mom included) are surprised that I am not a little sad about it.  Truth be told, I'm not sad.  I'm thrilled to be adding another little guy to my group of favorite guys.  I feel beyond blessed to have such amazing males in my family, and the blessings just keep coming.

So yeah - I love my guys. :)

26 Weeks

I'm too tired to come up with anything fun to talk about today.  Between my cramping bowels, munchkin's midnight screaming and 2.0's nightly acrobatics I didn't get much sleep.  So instead of being witty I'm just trying to make it through the day and thanking god that it's Friday.  So, is it 4:00 yet???

How far along? 26w0d and the size of a head of lettuce (or a large zucchini according to my phone app).  He's ~13.6 inches and just under 2 lbs.  He's practicing breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid.  He also has eyelashes.

Weight loss/gain:  My alarm didn't go off and I was in a rush this morning so I didn't bother weighing myself. I knew I would hate what I saw on the scale anyway, so why ruin the beginning of a 3 days weekend.

Maternity clothes: 50/50 still.  I'm pretty much giving up on all non-maternity pants/shorts that have zippers, though.

Symptoms:  Surprise surprise - my bowels are still on strike.  I did take a dulcolax the other night and OMG the cramps were about as bad as the beginnings of labor with Andrew.  It worked, so I guess it was worth it, but damn I was miserable for a while there.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: Still zero progress.  I guess we should start talking about it, huh?

Sleep: Not too bad, except for Tuesday night with the aforementioned cramps from hell. I've also been sleeping downstairs most of this week because J has an awful cough and it was keeping me up and pissing me off.

Best moment this week? This week has been blah.

Movement: Lots. He's clearly getting strong enough to bust through my anterior placenta.  He seems to be particularly active in the evenings and I really wish he would remove whatever appendage is shoved up under my ribs on the right side.  He seems to be following his big brother's lead - that is exactly where Andrew loved to torture me, too.

Food cravings:  I ate an entire container of wasabi peas this week.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  Feeling like I look good in my clothes.

What I'm looking forward to?  Three day weekend!  Woo hoo!!

Milestones:  Almost to 3rd tri. Yikes!

What I'm nervous about:  That J will want to go to the beach this weekend.  I cried last weekend when I had to put on a bathing suit for the pool and the thought of being in public in one is giving me major anxiety.  At least at Jay's pool it was just us.

Here I am in all my glory this morning. I won't even admit to how many outfit changes I had this morning - and this was the best I could do:

And just for shits and giggles here I was back at 12 weeks.  My ass has definitely expanded right along with my belly.  Bummer.

Double Digits

Holy frijoles!  Are you kidding me?!?  This pregnancy is already down into the double digit countdown. As of today I have 99 days to go until my estimated due date (at least for the first one).

Whoa.  Shit just got real.

I don't know if it's because I'm just a lot more busy with my little spazz of a toddler (dude, seriously - he is a mess) or if it's because I am still in a little bit of denial that soon we will have two little spazzes to handle.  Either way, this thing is flying.

Tomorrow is 26 weeks.

One week from today I hit three months to go.

Oy.

It's scary. It's exciting.  It's.... I don't know. Crazy?

I guess it's just weird/crazy/funny to me because when I was younger I kind of thought I'd never have kids. I didn't see myself as the maternal type.  Even when my nieces were born I didn't feel the connection or maternal type feelings.  Now here I am - well on my way to having my second little munchkin.  I still feel like I don't connect well with other people's kids, though.  I guess there's just something special about my own because I love Andrew with everything that I have.  As frustrating as he can be he is seriously the most awesome kid I ever could have asked for.  Love that crazy spazz.

Wow. So yeah.  99 days (or if this little guy pulls the early appearance like his big brother - even less!). Here we go...

This is Hard

Pregnancy.  It's not easy.  Physically... Emotionally...  Mentally...  It's tough.

I feel like the physical side is harder this go around than it was with Andrew.  I am so run down all the time.  It's not that I'm not sleeping well, but I'm just so exhausted.  I know it's because I don't get the down time that I got when I was pregnant with the munchkin.  Back then in the evenings I could veg on the couch after a rough day and get some extra rest.  Not possible with a 2 year old running around yelling "Mommy!  Mommy!" all the time.

He just. Doesn't. Stop.

I want to play with him - I do.  But sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I wish I could say "Go away, mommy is resting."  But I don't.  And wishing I could say that leads to the the emotionally hard part.  I'm wishing I could have some time to myself when there is only one kid to keep up with.  One kid who isn't as constantly needy as a newborn will be.  And even now I don't have that time.  Which means that in 3 or so months when there is a screaming crying newborn here I will have even less time (if that is even possible).

This has led to quite a few breakdowns over the last couple months.  Saturday was one of those.

J was off riding his bike and sent me a text saying I could meet them at Jay's house to hang out at the pool.  Which meant he expected me to get myself AND the munchkin ready and head out that way.  Great.  I had Andrew upstairs with me while I tried to find something to wear that didn't make me feel like a big fat cow.  Andrew was whining and I was crying because everything made me feel like a big fat cow.  I gave up and settled on something, then took him downstairs to get him ready, all the while swearing under my breath and cursing J.  The whole time I was getting Andrew ready he was yelling and whining.  I was trying to find shoes for him, and every pair I put on him he fussed and took them off.  I was so frustrated I threw the shoes across the room, yelled "Fine! Then don't wear shoes!" and walked out of the room to finish packing up our stuff.  Andrew of course had a shocked look on his face and started to cry.  So did I.  What is wrong with me? I just yelled at my two year old because he was fussing.  I suck.

Seriously? I yelled at this sweet kid?  Bring on the guilt...

I picked Andrew up and gave him a huge hug and apologized for getting upset.  I got everything in the car and headed to Jay's.  I had tears rolling down my cheeks for most of the 5 min drive.  When I pulled up J came out to help.  He saw how upset I was and told me he could have come home that we didn't have to come out there.  I told him I just needed him to be in charge of Andrew for a little while, that it was a rough morning and that I'm having a very hard time because I look so fat. He sweetly said I am not fat, that I am pregnant and I look fine.  While I sat with Andrew feeding him his hot dog lunch J went in and changed into his swim trunks.  When he came back out he came over, gave me a big hug and a sweet kiss and told me it's ok.  Then for the next hour he played with Andrew in the pool and kept him entertained so I could relax on a pool chaise and gather my thoughts.

The rest of the day was good.  When we got home we put Andrew down for a nap and then J and I also lounged on the couch and napped. It was heavenly - except for the fact that I fell asleep with my contacts in and had to peel them off my eyes when I woke up.

The rest of the weekend was good and there was no more crying from me.  I'm still an emotional mess, though, and it's starting to scare me.  I didn't have any postpartum depression or anxiety with Andrew, but my mental and emotional state right now is making me worry for what's to come after this baby gets here.  I guess on the plus side I am already aware of it so I'm hoping that I will recognize if there is an issue postpartum and can take the necessary steps to get help.

Yeah, pregnancy is hard.

25 Weeks

How far along? 25w0d and the size of a head of cauliflower (or a squash according to my phone app).  He's ~13.6 inches and around 1.5 lbs.  He can grasp his hands and wiggle his fingers and toes (which are also forming nails).

Weight loss/gain:  +21 lbs.  Ugh.

Maternity clothes: 50/50.  I wore non maternity clothes yesterday and was fine and have a non maternity dress to wear to the wedding tonight. I've given up on non maternity jeans, though.

Symptoms:  My colon still sucks - coconut water and hot water with lemon have had no effect on it.  Getting some more aches and pains and cardio workouts have gotten harder. Running is much harder this go 'round.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: Still nothing. I kind of discussed it with  my mom on Mother's Day, but J and I haven't gotten anywhere.  He vetoed Owen (I'm still lobbying for it) and I vetoed Jackson.  All I know is it will not be an 'A' name because I don't want to be those people that name all their kids name with the same first letter.

Sleep: Not bad, but I'm still always tired.  Pregnant with a toddler is SO much more tiring than being pregnant as a first time mom.

Best moment this week? Getting to hear the little guy's heartbeat on Tuesday at my appt.

Movement: Quite a bit, even with my anterior placenta.  He was especially active after my ice cream bar last night (and yeah, that's really helping the weight gain...)

Food cravings:  Can't get enough fruit.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  Not feeling like a whale.

What I'm looking forward to?  Getting dressed up for the wedding tonight and having a date night (they are few and far between).

Milestones:  I don't know - inching closer to 2nd tri?

What I'm nervous about:  Leaving Andrew with a new babysitter tonight. It's giving me some anxiety.

And me this morning.  I'm working from home so you will have to excuse the hairdo (or lack thereof).  Not sure why I thought it was a good idea to post a bare belly pic!:

Mother's Day (a little late)

This past weekend was my third Mother's Day as mommy to the sweetest little kid I could have ever asked for.

I woke up to the cute little bouquet that Andrew and his daddy picked for me and the handmade card that they made, sitting on the dining room table.  I forgot to take a picture though so you can't see it.

We got the little guy up and got ready for our trek up to Myrtle Beach. (I hate that drive).  We set forth and Andrew busied himself reading about Pookie:

We made it to my parents house right around lunchtime and hung out for a little while before we headed out to get something to eat:

It's impossible to get a picture with all three kids looking.

We just went to a little mexican restaurant for lunch.  Andrew only ate about half of his quesadilla, but that's probably because he filled up on chips and cheese dip.  After lunch we wanted to take the kids to the park so they could burn off some energy.  Plus I wanted to walk around a little so I wouldn't feel so full.

Afterward my sister and the girls went home so Kendall could nap and we headed back to my parent's house for a little bit.  Andrew ran around for about an hour and then I could tell that we were starting to lose him.  Before we left I attempted to get a picture of Andrew and I with my mom.  Yeah - that didn't work:

I seriously could not stop laughing.  We were trying to just get a nice picture, but as soon as I picked him up he started saying "I get down!".  Then came the flailing.  Hilarious.

We decided to head home to wrap up Mother's Day.  Andrew napped the whole way and woke up when we were 5 mins from home.  Just in time for dinner and the tub.

All in all it was a very  nice Mother's Day. I spent the day with my favorite people and got some delicious chocolate covered strawberries as a bonus.  Yay mom's!

I hope all of you moms out there also had a fantastic Mother's Day filled with love and laughter.

V-Day! (24 Weeks)

Holy moly - I cannot believe that I am already at this point.  24 weeks.  That means that if this little guy made the poor decision to show up now he would at least have a fighting chance.  Not that I feel like his arrival is imminent or anything.  No signs of anything going on down there.  Hopefully it stays that way for quite some time - I am not ready for him to be here yet.

And on to this week.

How far along? 24w0d and the size of a cantaloupe. Around 12 inches long and weighing over one pound.   He possibly has some hair on top of his head at this point.

Weight loss/gain:  +19.5 lbs.  Trying to rein in the weight gain since I would really like to keep under the 35 lb mark.

Maternity clothes: Some.  I'm wearing maternity jeans and a t-shirt today since I didn't feel like looking like a stuffed sausage.  I was able to wear a non-maternity dress the other day and it fit fine.

Symptoms:  My colon still sucks (and coconut water tastes like ass) and I was in pain after running Wednesday night.  I'll be really bummed if I have to cut my mileage down this early this time since I was able to make it to 36 weeks with Andrew.

Sex (of baby):  It's a BOY!!!

Name: Still no progress and we haven't even talked about it in weeks. I should probably be feeling a greater sense of urgency with this, but I really don't.

Sleep: Not too bad, except Wednesday night. I've been sleeping pretty soundly and luckily Andrew is getting back to his normal sleep schedule.

Best moment this week? It was kind of a 'meh' week so nothing really happened.

Movement: Yes.  Apparently my favorite sleep position is about to be a thing of the past because 2.0 doesn't seem to like it.  He was kicking/poking up a storm when I was trying to fall asleep last night.

Food cravings:  Still produce.  Loving strawberries, blueberries and grapefruit right now.

Belly button in or out?  In

What I miss?  A decent long run.

What I'm looking forward to?  Next Tuesday and getting to hear his heartbeat again.

Milestones:  Viability day!!

What I'm nervous about:  How much daycare is going to cost.  C'mon powerball jackpot!!

And me this morning.  Couldn't get a good pic in my normal spot so you'll have to settle for the nice bathroom shot: